Preparation

Prepare Baba:

Mix all the ingredients without the butter and then beat with a wooden spoon for about 15 minutes. When the dough starts to unstick from the spoon, add the melted butter. Mix.

Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rise. When the volume doubles spread the dough halfway up the 4 buttered moulds. Make sure that the dough is evenly spread and than leave it to rise in a warm area (86 - 95°F). The Baba should slightly overflow the moulds.

Cook it in the oven for 25 minutes at 392 - 400°F. The cooking time can depend on the size, color, and desired moistness of the Baba. Turn out the Babas as soon as they are cook.

Make syrup and cream:

Mix all the syrup ingredients and bring to boiling point. Leave to infuse. Place the Babas in the syrup and leave to soak for about 40 minutes. Verify that they are well soaked, and then place them on a grid to let them drip for about 5 minutes.

Slice the vanilla pod in two lengthwise and scrape out the grains that will be mixed in with the cream.

Beat the vanilla grains with the sugar and cream to obtain a Chantilly.

Put the Baba on a plate and glaze with the apricot coating.

Serving at the table, cut the Baba in two (lengthwise) and pour on the rum according to you taste. Served it with the Chantilly cream.

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Alain Ducasse is a famous french chef, and I think there was an error in the translation of this recipe. The words levure and levure chimique are respectively yeast and baking powder, so I think that if one were to add a pinch of yeast instead of baking powder, the recipe would probably work as it should.

This recipe is flawed. Babas usually contain yeast to make them rise. This recipe calls for baking powder, but then it says to let the dough rise until it has doubled. Baking powder won't cause anything to rise until it's baked at a higher temperature (unlike yeast, which can rise at room temperature), so it looks like this recipe meant to call for yeast, which would double in bulk while resting. Search for another baba recipe.

I have to agree with the Russian reviewer about this recipe - except for the question of moulds. "Baba" means "old woman". Here in Poland the cake is baked a mould that an American would call a Bundt cake mould (maybe also tube cake?), and is fluted or ridged. The cake should look like an old woman's skirt. Old (19th& 18th century) cookbooks I've seen have illustrations of such forms. Maybe the muffin shape mentioned is a new Russian invention???

Didn't try this one yet, but looks exactly like the traditional Russian rum baba made in every pastry shop accross the country. To answer the question about moulds - original baba looks like a fairly big muffin, so, I guess, muffin forms will do.